Au Pair in Australia: visa information

Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417) to Australia

The Working Holiday Visa is for young people who want to visit Australia and spend up to one year there to work and travel.
The visa is valid for 12 months and starts the day the Au Pair enters Australia. Although, according to the law, the visitor should not work more than 6 months for the same employer in Australia, there is no problem for Au Pairs to stay with the same Host Family for 12 months.
     
To apply for the Working Holiday visa, the Au Pair needs to fulfil the following requirements:

• between 18 - 30 years of age
• not married and no children
• never previously entered Australia on a Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462)
• enough savings to pay during a working holiday (about 5000 AUD)
• enough money to cover the travel cost to Australia and back
• citizenship and passport from one of the following countries:

Belgium	Cyprus	Denmark	Germany
Estonia	Finland	France	Hong Kong
Ireland	Italy	Japan	Canada
Korea	Malta	Netherlands	Norway
Sweden	Taiwan	United Kingdom

Other requirements

• Health insurance

• Health requirements

• Character requirements

• Biometrics

Application for the Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417)

1. Valid passport

The Au Pair needs to have a valid passport to start the visa application - the passport should remain valid at least 6 months afterwards as well.
    

2. Documents

The Au Pair needs to prepare the set of documents that prove the claims made in the application. You can find the full list on the official website of the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
     

3. Submitting the visa application

The Au Pair can submit the visa application via post, online or in person. Usually, the application online is the easiest. There is an application fee - therefore a credit card is necessary while applying online.
     
To apply in person or through post, first the Au Pair needs to fill and lodge the visa application to one of the immigration offices (the fee is also necessary).

4. The decision

The authorities will check the application and send the decision through post or email. In case of an unsuccessful application, the fee will not be returned.

Second application for the Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417)

The Au Pair can receive the Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417) twice. To apply for the second time the Au Pair needs to fulfil all the requirements of the first application, and additionally prove that some specified work has been completed during the first stay.
     
The Au Pair can apply for the second Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417) from Australia - in such case, the participant must apply and receive a visa while still being in Australia.
In another case, the Au Pair can submit the application outside of Australia and get the visa if the Au Pair remains outside of the country.

Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462) to Australia

To apply for a visa the Au Pair has to fulfil the following requirements:

• between 18 - 30 years of age
• enough savings to pay during a working holiday (about 5000 AUD)
• enough money for the ticket to Australia and back
• never entered Australia on a Working Holiday visa (subclass 417)
• citizenship and a valid passport from one of the following countries:

Argentina	Bangladesh	Chile	China
Indonesia	Israel	Malaysia	Poland
Portugal	Slovak Republic	Slovenia	Spain
Thailand	Turkey	USA	Uruguay

Other requirements:

• Character requirements

• Health insurance requirements

• Health requirements

• Educational requirements

• Language requirements

• Letter of support

• Biometrics

Application for the Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462)  

1. The passport

The Au Pair needs to check validity of the passport - it should be valid at the moment of application and at least 6 months afterwards.  
    

2. Documents

Submit a set of documents proving the claims in the application - you can find the list on the official website of Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
    

3. The visa application

Citizens from the US can apply for the visa online. The Au Pairs from other countries need to submit the application through post or in person. Find out the exact details regarding the available offices on the official website. All the documents need to be either in original English, or translated by a certified translator.
     

4. The decision

After processing the application, the Au Pair will receive the decision by email.

Second application for the Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462)

The Au Pair can apply for the Work and Holiday Visa twice - the requirements are similar to the ones for the first application. Additionally, the Au Pair has to have completed 3 months of specified work while being in Australia on the first Work and Holiday visa. All the applicants can submit the second application online.
     
To extend the stay, the Au Pair needs to submit the application in Australia before the first visa expires. The applicant cannot exceed 31 years of age.